Infants are delicate beings, and they require the utmost care in order protect them and keep them safe from harm. One (1) of the most common items utilized to protect infants is a car seat. A car seat holds an infant in place to protect them while being transported in a motor vehicle.
A problem associated with conventional car seats is that they are generally ergonomically unfriendly and place more emphasis on restraint than comfort. In particular, the child's head tends to end up at awkward angles when the child is sleeping.
Prolonged placement of a child's neck and head at a poor angle causes a number of problems. This is uncomfortable for the child and can cause great distress when the child wakes. Furthermore, this causes a large amount stress on the child's neck which can cause strain and even damage. This is particularly dangerous in the event of a sudden stop or crash.
Various attempts have been made to provide support pillows adapted for use in a vehicle. Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. patents including U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,080; U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,611; U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,245; U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,255; U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,388; U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,195; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,363.
Additionally, ornamental designs for a neck support pillow exist, such as U.S. Pat. No. D 322,380. However, none of these designs are similar to the present invention.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more disadvantages. Many such devices are not readily adjustable. Many such devices do not work for a child, particularly a sleeping child, as they assume a certain level of coordination on the part of the user. Many such devices are not easily adaptable for use with a car seat. Furthermore, many such devices are adapted for comfort but not support, or are not adapted to support and protect the neck and head of a sleeping child. Accordingly, there exists a need for a support pillow for a child in a car seat without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.